Thank you so much for letting me listen to this audiobook. Although this story is at times very painful to read it also contains hopeful moments. It shows the strength of the women in history.

I read Ties that Bind, Ties that Break as a a young kid and it’s one of my favorite books of all time and what made me request this ARC. It did not disappoint ! Beautiful writing and beautiful story!!

“I love you so much I bound your feet early” this quote killed me and the thought of someone so young (4) going through this excruciating painful process !

Little Flower has been preparing herself to be a housekeeper and wife ever since she can remember. She is sold to the wealthy Fong family in order for them to afford carpentry school for her younger brother and to set him up for the most possible chance for success.

Linjing is the other character in our story, the lady that Little Flower must be a servant to. Unlike Little Flower, her father allowed her to keep her feet unbound to try and challenge modern norms, which Linjing has mixed feelings with her servant having better feet / “golden lillies” than her.

Both girls are pressured to be best friends but feel much more comfortable as rivals. Until they both face separate betrayals that may bring them together for a common cause.

This goes through stages of life of a young girl in early Chinese history. Through feet binding, the fall of a family, being matched/ wed to another, the pressures for women to bear a son, work on the Silk Road, and more !

This is a great example of similar struggles for totally different reasons. Sharp and engaging prose! Heartbreaking story and reality about tradition, family, and breaking the norm.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review ! Late review- out now !

I really enjoyed this one! A new historical fiction release set in 1800s China. We follow the complex relationship between two young girls as they grow up, Little Flower and Linjing. The audiobook in particular was really well done and I enjoyed the author’s note at the end for the inspiration for the story, how it came to be, and her own family history playing a part.

We see Little Flower being sold into the Fong’s wealthy family when she’s just a girl, she becomes a maid/companion/chaperone of sorts to the household, but especially to Linjing. We see childish jealousy and rivalry and even more complex aspects of friendship, betrayal, loss, and the sometimes good, sometimes bad, bond these two women have their whole lives. Matchmaking, golden lilies (bound feet), Linjing’s father wanting to become a more modern family like he’s seen from the western world, needlepoint work, embroidery, business aspirations, love, loss, and everything in between.

The Lotus Shoes is an amazing and fascinating novel, all the more remarkable for its debut status. This historical novel is set in the China of the late 1800’s. It tells the story of class distinctions within China and the struggles of a spoiled rich girl, Linjing, and her slave Little Flower. The girls meet at age six when Little Flower is sold into slavery by her loving mother. Yang includes a great deal of information about the legend that created the tradition of bound feet ( Golden Lilies), and explains how a girls future depends on her having bound feet. The feminist organization that developed to free Chinese women from the horror of forced marriages, The Celebate Sisterhood, also plays an important part in the drama that unfolds.
“….I had not understood, until now, that in this world, only men have the freedom to act, to roam, to live. This understanding plunged me into an abysmal pit far beyond despair…” Yes, this story is often dark and seemingly without much hope, but thankfully it ends on a hopeful note.

Ultimately, we see that none of the women in the story are truly free. Their lives are at the mercy of the patriarchy.

Highly recommended those who enjoy good Historical novels and for readers of Lisa See and Amy Tan.

4.5 rounded up.

The Lotus Shoes was an incredible story following Little Flower from life with her mother through adulthood. Her mother gives her her golden lillies as a four year old and teaches her to care for them and that they will help her secure a good marriage in the future.

Little Flower is sold as a muizai and becomes a servant to Linjing. Their story grows as they grow and we see not only their relationship but Little Flower's relationship with others, as well. Little Flower is talented and kind, revered by many including Linjing's mother.

I was fascinated by The Lotus Shoes, the storytelling and the characters. The only reason the review wasn't a 5 star review was because by the end I was annoyed by how many times Golden Lillies is mentioned. I understand it's important to the story, but the repetition was annoying to me. Overall though, the audio was excellent.

Advanced reader copy provided by Harlequin and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Beautifully written historical fiction set in 1800s China. This story was told from the perspective of two girls - Little Flower and Linjing. Little Flower was sold into slavery as a muizai to Linjing's very wealthy family. There was so much tragedy in this story - all beautifully written. I loved how well the story explored privilege, class struggles, and historical 1800s China. Cannot wait for Yang's next book!

The Lotus Shoes
Jane Yang

A Tale of Resilience and Betrayal in 19th-Century China

1800s China. Tightly bound feet, or “golden lilies, are the mark of an honorable woman, eclipsing beauty, a rich dowry, and even bloodline in the marriage stakes. When her mother sells Little Flower into slavery as a maidservant—a muizai—to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that one day her golden lilies will lead her out of slavery.

Not only does Little Flower have bound feet, uncommon for a muizai, but she is extraordinarily gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with the highest class of a lady. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to thwart Little Flower’s escape.

But when scandal strikes the Fongs, both women are cast out to the Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s artistic prowess catches the eye of a nobleman. His attention threatens not only her improved status but her life—the Sisterhood punishes disobedience with death. And if Linjing finds out, will she sabotage Little Flower to reclaim her power, or will she protect her?

Yang masterfully depicts the harsh realities of foot binding, servitude, and the complexities of female relationships in a male-dominated society. The historical details, especially regarding silk-making and social hierarchies, add depth to the narrative. The Lotus Shoes is an empowering story of two women from different worlds, bound by fate and tested by betrayal, ambition, and love. It’s a stunning debut that lingers long after the final page. If you prefer audiobooks, know that the narration is excellent. 5 stars.

** My thanks to the publisher for a complimentary review copy. The opinions are my own.

The Lotus Shoes is a story that brings me back to when I first began to fall in love with novels based in China before the fall of the last emperor. The story grabs you from the beginning, and you quickly emphasize with the muizai, Little Flower, as she struggles to live the life she finds herself in after her father's passing before the story begins.
Little Flower faces great loss from age 6, starting with her family, her freedom, her golden lotus feet, her betrothal, and 3 of the fingers on her right hand. Cast into different lots in life within the blink of her eyes, Little Flower clings to her strengths, her embroidery skills, and her wit to support herself.

Linjing, whom Little Flower serves, is a self-centered little girl who refuses to accept her own faults, even as her life spirals from both outside forces and self-inflicted struggles.

The two girls grow up together as servant and master, enemies, friends, and eventually, equals.

The wheel of fortune brings both girls high and low throughout their lives in this interesting tale of misfortune and perseverance.

My favorite scene was of Little Flower ripping up her muizai contract in front of Linjing to show her it is meaningless, that they are now equals in the world.

This book earns my first 5 Star Review of 2025 and is definitely one that I will need to take a few days to digest and appreciate before starting a new book. Perfect for fans of Lisa See and Amy Tan.

This is the story of a young, high-born Chinese woman and her slave girl told over many years.

What worked for me was the historical setting and listening to the audio. I loved hearing the words pronounced and learning so much about Chinese women and their society during the 1800s.

What didn't work: The length. It seemed to just drag on in the middle, and I think some editing might have helped that.

The Lotus Shoes takes place in 1800 China. Little Flower was 4 years old when her mother bound her feet also known as golden lilies. By the time Little Flower was six, her mother had to sell her as a maidservant to a wealthy family due to the death of her husband. Linjing is the first daugther of the first wife in the Fong family. While her father thinks that golden lilies are the way of the past, he forbids Linjing to have big feet like the westeners. Where Little Flower excells at emboirdery, Linjing doesn't due to a defect in seeing color and because of this and Little Flowers bound feet Linjing is jelous. Linjing does everything possible to be cruel to Little Flower including having her feet unbound. Now Little Flower has deformed feet and trying to find a husband will be nearly impossible. This was a great book and the writing style reminded me of Lisa See books with all the history and culture that was poured into this novel. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for letting me listen to an advance copy of this audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This is an incredible book about the relationship between an enslaved person and her enslaved set in 1800s China. The lives and fortunes of these women grow and change as neither one has any real control over their own life. So well written and engaging.

Historical Fiction • China • Dual POV
Pub Date • 7 January 2025

Thank you to @htphive and @parkrowbooks for the free ARC package! Thank you @harlequin.audio for the ALC! 🎧

🍵🫖 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙞𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙂𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙖, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖. 𝘼 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜-𝙤𝙛-𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩. 🪷

Told from the perspectives of Linjing, an upper class girl, and her 𝘮𝘶𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘪 and handmaiden. What an pretty-sounding word to mean slave.

I have read 3 books with slave main characters this month. There’s no world from antebellum South, to ancient Mesopotamia, to 1800s China in which it is less evil. Where there is slavery, people will yearn to be free. And escape attempts are universally squashed by the masters with a hand that treats slaves worse than animals.

There are other evils in 1800s China including the class system among the gentile, which pits woman against woman in a multi-tier wife and consort system led by the head of household, the patriarchy. Wives must produce sons, who are most valued as heirs, but if it’s a girl, she must have Golden Lillies. Another sweet sounding word for the barbaric practice of binding feet.

However, I still somehow bristled at the Western woman who sweeps in with her white savior mentality. Talking of progress, modernization, embracing the more evolved religion of Christianity, for whom no barbaric things were ever done...it was really insightful to check my own biases through the book.

The story-telling has depth. I was heartbroken for all that Little Flower endured. I could have never been as forgiving. However, she just may triumph in the end..! You’ll have to read to find out. Impressed by this debut.

The audio narration captures your attention and is another good way to read this one.

TW: Mutilation, Death, Suicide, Torture, Sexism, Classism

I really enjoyed this moving and heartbreaking story of two young 1800s Chinese women from opposite ends of society who find their lives intertwined when Little Flower is sold to Linjing’s wealthy family to serve as an indentured servant, effectively ending her chance at a good marriage thanks to her embroidery skills and beautiful, bound “golden lily” feet. Filled with class struggles, cruelty (Little Flower loses the use of some of ger fingers) and jealousy but also hope and perseverance. I highly recommend this strong debut especially for Lisa See fans. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early ALC in exchange for my honest review.